Oil-feed-controlling mechanism.



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CLARENCE D. DOUTY,0F ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0l MCCORD COMPANY,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

. OIL-FEVD-CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

being capableof use with other` types of engines. The invention has forits primary objects, the provision of an oil feed controlling device bymeans of which the feed is made to occur intermittently but uniformlyand with a minimum variation in oil line pressure; the provision of acontrolling means whereby changes of steam chest pressure do not varythe oil line pressure; and the provision of a simple and efficientcontrolling means easily,

regulated to secure the desired feed, .and which will not stick or getout of adjust,- ment by reason of engine vibration or other cause. vOneembodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawingswherein- Figure 1 is a general arrangement View showing the front end ofa locomotive With my improved apparatus applied thereto, Fig. 2 is asection on an enlarged scale through the controlling means, and Fig. '3is a section on an enlarged scale, through a modified form ofcontrolling means which may be substituted for that of Fig. 2.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 1 is the'locomotive cylinder upon which ismounted a steam chest 2; 3 is the oil pump which is mounted upon thesteam chest and may be of any approved type; 4 is the discharge pipeleading from the pump, and through which the -oil is forced; 5 is thecasing of the controlling device; and 6 is the shaft which drives thepump 3. The shaft 6 is driven from the cross head 7 carried by thepiston rod 8 of the valve. This drive includes the usual swinging arm 9having 'the usual pawl and ratchet and gear connection with the shaft 6and lying in the casing 10.

The pump supplies the oil under pressure .through the pipe 4 to thecontrolling device shown in section in Fig. 2. The lower p01;- tion ofthe casing 11 is screwed into the top Speaieation of Letters `Patent.

Patented' Mar. ao, i917.

Application filed July 5, 1913. Serial No. 777,556.

ofthe steam ch'estand is provided with the passage 12 leading from thevchamber 13 to the interior of the steam chest. Oil is supplied underpressure to the chamber 13 from 4the pipe 4. Mounted across ,the upperside of the chamber 13-is a diaphragm 14 held 1n place bythe ring 1 5with which thelower edge of the casing 5 engages. The member 16 slidablymounted in the casing 5 bears upon thev4 upper face offthe diaphragm 14,and is normally held in the position indicated, by the spring 17. Thelower side :of the member 16 is recessed, and screwthreaded into therecess is the plugv 18 which v serves to clamp the inner edge of thediaphragm, a washer 19 being interposed between the face of the plug andthe diaphragm. Extending through the-plug is a pin or needle valve 20,such pin being fitted so as to have a slight endmovement in the plug and.also a slight lateral movement, in

l-orderto permit the proper seating ofthe valve upon its seat in casethe parts are not exactly alined. A light spring 21 serves to hold thevalve 2O in its upper position. The tension of the spring 17 may beadjusted by means of the screw plug 22, such plug being l covered by theremovable cap 23.

Assuming that the maximum steamk pressure in the steam chest andcylinder isv about 200 pounds, the spring 17 would be adjusted so thatthe pressure of the oilin the chamber 13 necessary to move the diaphragmupward and open the valve 2O would be about 275 pounds. When thepressure in the pipe line 4 produced by the oil pumps reachesa pressureof 275 pounds per square inch ,the valve 20 is opened, permitting acharge of oil to flow down through the passage 12 and into the steamchest and cylinder. This of course causes a reductionl of pressure 1nthe chamber 13, since the capacity of the oil pump isl not suflicient tomaintain the pressure inthe chamber 13 at- 27 5 pounds when the outlet12 is open, and as a result the spring 17 causes a closure of the valve2O when the ypressure in the chamber 13 has dropped about 20 pounds. Assoon as the valve 2O is closed the pressure commences to build up againin the chamber 13, and when the pressure reaches the 275-pound point thevalve 20 opens again.- This cycle is repeated as long. as thepiston 8 isreciprocated and the drive shaft 6 rotated, the operation ofthe pump of.course ceasing when the engine stops. The

vthe piston, and the amount of oil admitted is just sufiicient to givethe desired amount of lubrication. y

It will be seen from the foregoing that the controlling mechanismprovides a means whereby small charges of oil are intermittently forcedinto the cylinder, the number of such charges being proportional to thespeed at which the locomotive is running. The area of the valve 2Oexposed to pressure from the stamin the passage l2 is so slight that thechanges of steam pressure do not affect the pressure in the chamber 13at which the diaphragm moves up to open the valve. As* a result, theuniformity with which the device operates is not affected by the widevariations of steam pressure in the steam chest. TheV increases anddecreases in steam pressure in the cylinder and steam chestl neitheraccelerate nor retard the operation of the valve 20, and as a result thecylinder is supplied with uniform charges of oil at equal intervals, theintervals of course varying with the speed of the locomotive. Variousother` advantages incident to the apparatus will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art.

Fig. 3 illustrates in cross section a modification of the device shownin Fig. 2, such device differing primarily from the construction of Fig.in that the pressure actuated abutment is a piston instead of adiaphragm. In the construction illustrated in this ligure, 2i is theinlet connected to the oil line, and 25 is the passage leading from thechamber 26 to theV steam chest. The pin valve 2T is carried by thepiston 28 which takes the place of the diaphragm 14 in the constructionof Fig. 2. This piston is recessed interior-ly and slidably mounted uponthe collar 29 carried by the casing 30, packing 'rings 3l being employedto make a tight joint between the interior of the piston and the collarQ9. The piston is normally held in its lowest position with the valve QTclosing the passage 25, by means of a spring 32 adjusted upon the plug'A cap 3l is screwed upon the upper end of the plug 33 and serves as anut lock and protector for such plug. A portion of the oil pressure inthe chamber QG is exerted downward, tending to close the piston, so thatthe spring 3Q may be made lighter than t-he springl,` '1T in theconstruction of Fig. 2Q

The spring is adjusted so that theA piston will move up and open thevalve 27 at about the same pressures as recited in connection with thestructure of Fig. Q, and the operation throughout is the same asheretofore described in connection with the device of Fig. 2. The use ofthe piston Q8 instead of the diaphragm l/-l permits of a longer strokeof the valve i2? than is the case with the valve Q0 of Fig. 2. Variousother embodiments of the invention might be made, which inventionbroadly considered involves the provision of an abutment actuated by thqoil pressure and controlling ,a valve which performs the double functionof cutting od the line from steam pressure, and of regulating the iiowof oil from the oil line to the steam cylinder. rlhe term cylinder i isused throughout in its generic sense, to indicate a steam receptaclewhether circular in cross section or not, carrying either a valve or asteam actuated member or a piston. In .the construction illustrated thesteam chest may-be regarded as the c vlinder, or the member l may beregarded as the cylinder, since the supply of oil from the controllingmechanism actually passes to the interior of the cylinder l afterpassingthrough the steam chest.

lVhat claim isl. In a forced feed lubricator for a steam cylinder, anoil pump, an oil discharge connection leading therefrom, and acontrolling means for the discharge connection comprising a chamberconnected, to the discharge connection and to the cylinder. a valvecontrolling the connection from the chamber to the cylinder, a movableabutment exposed to the pressure of the oil in the chamber but cut olljby the valve from pressure from the cylinder and adapted to open thevalve when the oil pressure rises to a predetermined point in excess ofthe steam pressure Iin the cylinder, and a spring for holding theabutment in position to close the valve until the oil pressure in thechamber rises to the said predetermined point, the area of the valve,exposed to the steam being relatively so small that the opening forceapplied to the valve by the steam is negligible as compared with theclosing force exerted upon the valve by the spring.

i2. In a forced feed lubricator for a steam cylinder, an oil pump, anoil discharge connection leading therefrom. and a controlling` m rausfor the discharge connection comprising a chamber connected to thedischarge connection'and to the cylinder, a movable abutment exposed tothe pressure of the oil in the chamber, a valve operated by the abutmentand controlling the connection from the chamber to the. cylinder, and aspring for holding the abutment in position to close the valve and cutoff comnmnication between the cylinder and the abutment, the pressure ofthe spring being such that the pressure of the oil in the chamber mustbe in excess of the steam zpressure in the cylinder in order to move theabutment to open the valve, and the area of the valve exposed to thesteam being relatively so small that the opening force applied to thevalve by the closing force the spring.'

steam is negligible'as comparedA with the exerted upon the valve by 3.In aforced feed lubricator for a steam cylinder, an oil-pump, an`oildischarge connection leading thereromiand a controlling means forthe' discharge connectionA com'- prising a movable abutment exposedtothe pressure of the oil in the connection, a valve operated by theabutment and controlling the flow of oil to the cylinder, 'and aspringvfor holding the abutment in position to close the valve and .c ut olicommunication between the cylinder' and the abutment, the pressure oftherspring being such that the pressure of'the oil inthe connectionvmust@ bein excess of the steam pressure in the` cylinder in 'order toopen the valve, andthe valvewhen closed cutting oi communication fromthe abutment-to the cylinder, the

larea of the valve exposed to the steam being relatively `so small thatthe opening force,

'applied to the valve by the steam is negligible as compared with theclosing force exerted upon the valve by the spring. f

4. vIn a forced feed lubricator for asteamcylinder, an oil pump, an oildischarge connectionv leading therefrom and a controlling means for thedischarge.connectionlcomprising a chamber connectedto the cylinder by arelatively small passage and to. the said connection, a movableabutmentexposedto pressure that exceeds said predetermined` '55 pressureof the oil in :the chamber, a pin valve operated. by the abutment andvconv trolling' the said'relatively. small passage,

and a spring for holdingthe abutment in position to close the valve andcut o communication between the 'cylinder and the Vabutment until thevoilpressure in the cham` ber rises to av predetermined point in excessof the steam pressure in the cylinder. 5. The combination with a machinehav.-

ing a part t'o which oilmust be fed againsta variable iluidbackpressure, ofa pump Vdriven from said machine, an oil conduit pressure,ivhereby the oil will start when said machine starts and will stop whensaid machine stops.

6. The combination with a machine having a part to which oil must be fedagainst a variable fluid back pressure, of a pump driven from "themachine, an oil conduit leading from said-pump to said partto belubricated, valve mechanism having a part controlling the oil dischargefrom said con`- duit and another part,on Which the p of the'oil in theconduit acts to open the valve, said latter noted part being normallyally effective back pressure, and .yielding means operative to closesaid valve 'mecha-v .cut 0E, vby the first-noted part, from materi- I'nism in opposition to. apredetermined oil 4 pressure that at leastequals the maximum variable fluid back pressure, but permitting the sameto open under Working oil pressure. that'exceeds said predeterminedpressure. 7, The combination with a' machine' having-a cylinder towhichoil must be .fed against a variable'luid' baCkpreSSure, of a pump'driven from said machine, an oil dis charge conduit leading therefrom,'controlling means for said discharge conduit com-V prisinga' chamberconnected to:said dis. charge conduit and tolsaid cylinder, valve-`mechanism having a.y part. controlling the' connection from said chamberto saidicyl-` inder and another part exposedto the pressure of thefoilin said chamber, Sad'la'st- .noted part being normally vcut oi"fromina-A terially effectiveback pressure from the cylinder, by saidfirstnoted part of the Valve mechanisme. and .yielding means operative'to close Vsaid valve mechanism in opposition' tol a predeterminedoi'lpressure that at least 'equals the maximum variable fiuid back pressure,but permitting the same `to open under working oil pressure that eX-ceeds saidipredetermined pressure.

8. .In a forced feed lubricator for an en- ."gine-cylinder, an 'oilpump, an oil discharge conduit leading therefrom, controlling meanschamber connected to said discharge conduit for said discharge conduitcomprising a and having a passage leading to the cylinder,

valve mechanism having a part controlling said passage and another partexposed to the pressure of the oil in said chamber. and conf duit, butnormally cut oii' from materially effective back pressure from thecylinder, by.

the first-noted part, anda spring for normally holding 'the valve'closedwith a'pressure that at least equals the maximum variable Huid backpressure from the cylinder, but

permitting said valve mechanism ."to open under' Working oil pressurethat exceeds saidpredeternilned pressure.

. I-n testimony whereof I have hereunto,

signed myname in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses. l y c. D.noUTY.

` Witnesses P. C. RILEY, R. E. BELL.

